Ranchi: Addressing the presspersons in Ranchi on Sunday, RJD Rajya Sabha member Manoj Jha said the party would not settle for less than 12 seats, but it will not sabotage the prospects of the INDIA bloc even if it goes solo.
Lalu Prasad Yadav fought in seven seats in 2019 to oust the BJP from power. Now the party is strong in 22 seats and the leaders are ready to face jail than espousing BJP before any elections, he said.
"RJD is a symbol of opposition to BJP. Our party and leaders don't play hide-and-seek with BJP. We will win the battle, not even one of our MLAs was shaken by the BJP's temptation. We will not let the alliance's boat sink. Hemant Soren has to become the Chief Minister as you should not ignore the mass leader," Jha said.
It seems the disappointment over the seat-sharing formula announced by the INDIA Alliance a day ago without consulting RJD despite Tejaswi Yadav's presence in Ranchi is yet to dissipate as Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Congrees state in-charge Ghulam Ahemned Mir met Yadav in person to salvage the damage.
Jha said RJD went to Soren's residence and after a very cordial talk, a one-sided announcement was made. The behaviour of a leader present in the meeting was unexpected. If the party gets 12-14 seats, they will help the alliance partners in 60-62 seats. Without an agreement, the party would declare the names of the candidates for the 19 seats on Monday.
"Less than 12-13 seats are not acceptable to us as the RJD has a strong hold on 18-20 seats. If we are asked to contest three seats, we are not ready to make any sacrifices. Our sole aim is to defeat BJP, we will not sabotage the INDIA bloc," he said.
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